300 dead in Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s national drug crackdown

RODRIGO “The Punisher” Duterte vowed to eliminate drug crime via state sanctioned murder and he’s fulfilling that promise with chilling efficiency.
The official death toll since the Philippines president’s call on authorities and citizens last month to kill drug users and dealers on sight is almost 300 but the true figure is certain to be higher.
The victims nobody reported missing, or cared enough about to identify, are unlikely to have made anyone’s list.
Now the horrific results of Duterte’s crackdown have been illustrated in an extraordinary series of photographs by Getty’s Dondi Tawatao.
According to police data, 293 suspected users and pushers were killed during police operations between July 1 and July 24. Human rights groups say this figure does not include countless people murdered by vigilantes in street executions.
There have been many reports of accused drug users and pushers being executed and left on streets with cardboard signs allegedly “admitting” their guilt.
Not that this worries Duterte — as far as he is concerned everything is going to plan.
“Double your efforts. Triple them if need be,” he said in a message to police.
“We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars ... or below ground if you wish.”

A friend passed near by a town hall 30 km south of Manila the other day...
There was a huge crowd, eventually about 1000 people may be more in front of town hall...
He asked what is going on here to a security guy, the answer was those are drug users surrendering!

^I've spoken to dozens of folks here over the past weeks on this subject. Without exception, everyone backs the program. Consensus is pretty much that they were all known dealers, preyed on their local communities, and good show!

The savagery of these extra-judicial murders is only exceeded by the utter hypocrisy of the campaign since anyone with a functioning brain knows the corrupt authorities are in partnership with the mafiosi running the drugs industry in Flipperland.

It seems the uneducated, stupid, gullible and inherently fascist locals are as dumb as the Thai were when Thaksin murdered his 3,000 under exactly the same bogus circumstances.

It really makes one despair of the world. Asians really are such medieval animals.

^They are targeting shabu dealers, primarily in slum areas. There have been four killed in the last two weeks in my town about 50 miles south of Manila. My nephew, who heads a SWAT team, was involved in two of the raids. In both cases, they were attacked and police were wounded prior to the dealer being shot. All four were well known dealers. All had outstanding warrants for their arrest. Two fought, two fled - all died. No loss. Hardly kids with a joint.

It's pretty easy to go after the visible street level stuff. It could be argued that cleaning up the base of the pyramid is a short term fix, whereas tackling the real problems at the apex of the pyramid would have an immeasurably greater beneficial effect for the vast majority of people.

It's pretty easy to go after the visible street level stuff. It could be argued that cleaning up the base of the pyramid is a short term fix, whereas tackling the real problems at the apex of the pyramid would have an immeasurably greater beneficial effect for the vast majority of people.

You are aware that his first action was firing of 5 top level police for involvement in protecting the drug trade? That he moved a group of drug lords in prison to a facility where they no longer can control their operations outside? I think this qualifies as tackling the apex of the pyramid. You got to attack the problem at all levels.

"don't attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by incompetence"

It's pretty easy to go after the visible street level stuff. It could be argued that cleaning up the base of the pyramid is a short term fix, whereas tackling the real problems at the apex of the pyramid would have an immeasurably greater beneficial effect for the vast majority of people.

You are aware that his first action was firing of 5 top level police for involvement in protecting the drug trade? That he moved a group of drug lords in prison to a facility where they no longer can control their operations outside? I think this qualifies as tackling the apex of the pyramid. You got to attack the problem at all levels.

Yes, aware of that. I was not saying he was totally wrong in his strategy. But the real apex, I think, are the politicians themselves and the entrenched elite families. Good luck to him with that, a monumental task indeed!

^Dead men walking: Philippine President Duterte to name dozens of officials allegedly involved in drug trade

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo “The Punisher” Duterte is set to name up to 50 officials allegedly involved in drugs as state-sanctioned street executions of civilians soar to 600.

Mr Duterte’s lawyer Salvador Panelo said that 27 local executives identified in intelligence reports would be unmasked this week that figure had almost doubled.
“My God, you will be shocked,” Mr Panelo said, according to the Philippine Inquirer.
He declined a request to give examples, citing operational reasons, but revealed many on the list were from prominent families and included provincial mayors and police generals and military figures.
The extraordinary development comes a day after Mr Duterte issued a “shoot on sight” order for Mayor Rolando Espinosa of Albuera and his son Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa after three mayoral staffers were caught with ice, known as shabu in the Philippines.
The Radyo Inquirer said that the mayor surrendered on Tuesday after police shot dead six bodyguards during an early morning raid at the heavily fortified family compound.
Authorities have vowed to hunt down and kill his son, who vanished weeks ago after learning Duterte was coming after him.
Kerwin is said to have undergone plastic surgery while on the run in a desperate bid to elude capture.
Father and son are being investigated for allegedly protecting drug traffickers. Espinosa is the first local executive linked to the narcotics trade under the Duterte administration, according to The Philippine Star.
The officials about to be unmasked in the “executive kill list” can consider themselves dead men walking unless they turn themselves in and confess.

I've yet to see a case where they clearly got an innocent guy. In fact, I've only seen one or two cases where family/friends claimed the dead guy was innocent. In one of those two, I know for a fact the guy was a big dealer, and that the family is involved as well.

Agree or disagree with his methods, he does what he says he will do. Thats more than most politicians manage. He certainly has balls.

Originally Posted by bobo746

^Dead men walking: Philippine President Duterte to name dozens of officials allegedly involved in drug trade

PHILIPPINE President Rodrigo “The Punisher” Duterte is set to name up to 50 officials allegedly involved in drugs as state-sanctioned street executions of civilians soar to 600.

Mr Duterte’s lawyer Salvador Panelo said that 27 local executives identified in intelligence reports would be unmasked this week that figure had almost doubled.
“My God, you will be shocked,” Mr Panelo said, according to the Philippine Inquirer.
He declined a request to give examples, citing operational reasons, but revealed many on the list were from prominent families and included provincial mayors and police generals and military figures.
The extraordinary development comes a day after Mr Duterte issued a “shoot on sight” order for Mayor Rolando Espinosa of Albuera and his son Rolando “Kerwin” Espinosa after three mayoral staffers were caught with ice, known as shabu in the Philippines.
The Radyo Inquirer said that the mayor surrendered on Tuesday after police shot dead six bodyguards during an early morning raid at the heavily fortified family compound.
Authorities have vowed to hunt down and kill his son, who vanished weeks ago after learning Duterte was coming after him.
Kerwin is said to have undergone plastic surgery while on the run in a desperate bid to elude capture.
Father and son are being investigated for allegedly protecting drug traffickers. Espinosa is the first local executive linked to the narcotics trade under the Duterte administration, according to The Philippine Star.
The officials about to be unmasked in the “executive kill list” can consider themselves dead men walking unless they turn themselves in and confess.

He certainly isn't no lee Kwan yu of Singapore fame but maybe this guy can sort out all the lawless assholes that seem to run rampant there, it's a fantastic country populated by bright and smiling folk , I think this duterte guy might actually make a difference? Who gives a fuck if a few drug pushers get shot

Someone she knows came back from a Philippines vacation. She was strongly against the bigmouth Duterte during the election. She said now when she arrived at Manila airport it had the feel of another country. Manila airport used to be a nightmare on arrival, it feels now very different. Same with many areas in Manila it feels more secure and relaxed. She came back a convinced Duterte supporter.

I have a one week break in a couple of weeks and was looking to go to a beach or somewhere I haven't been before for a cheapish break. Davis, are you around? Can I shoot one of your big guns (or even better, one of those WW1 or 1930s style mafiosi museum pieces!)?

@takeovers - I haven't been to the airport since Duterte became president, so can't say if airports are more orderly now. My last air travel was in April, before the election. Seems he's serious abt the war on drugs. Many small-time drug sellers have been caught. Thete's also been a recent drug bust near my work town. There's also a curfew by 10 pm - minors shld be home by then. They implement the curfew in both my work town & hometown (I don't live in my h.t. anymore). However, there are still a lot of petty crimes in Metro Manila esp in populous areas like Baclaran, Quiapo or Edsa rotonda area, where the Mrt Lrt stations meet. You still have to be alert for snatchers & pickpockets. I've asked colleagues abt this, and they say the same abt Metro Manila. You always have to be alert. So in that aspect, not much has changed.